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Like all games this one against Indiana will be won in the trenches. Our depth and talent along the DL is going to overwhelm Indy's OL. We will stop the run and that will turn it into a pretty lopsided win.

Like all games this one against Indiana will be won in the trenches. Our depth and talent along the DL is going to overwhelm Indy's OL. We will stop the run and that will turn it into a pretty lopsided win.

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Yep. Even Day today said we have to stop the run and run the ball well.

If they don't have a run game how they're going to move the ball is beyond me because our pass rush might be the best in football.

How bad we win depends on what our offense does. Wouldn't be shocked if they get their share of stops

What’s the best Rushmen grouping assuming everyone is healthy? I’ve got to assume it’s Smith and Young on the edges and Jashon inside but who is best guy for the 4th spot inside.....is it Tommy? Or is it Cooper on the edge and Smith inside? Again, assuming everyone is healthy.

What’s the best Rushmen grouping assuming everyone is healthy? I’ve got to assume it’s Smith and Young on the edges and Jashon inside but who is best guy for the 4th spot inside.....is it Tommy? Or is it Cooper on the edge and Smith inside? Again, assuming everyone is healthy.

Lord have mercy that could be lethal. If Coop isn’t healthy I guess you could go with a young JJB or Friday in his spot. I don’t know though, if Coop isn’t fully healthy I’d kind of like to see Smith stay outside and Tommy bring that bull rush from inside.

On Nov. 17, 2018, Anthony McFarland took an outside handoff and Ohio State cornerback Damon Arnette dipped inside, allowing the Maryland then-redshirt freshman running back to dash 81 yards untouched to the end zone.

It defined a primary issue with Ohio State’s defense in 2018, which allowed the most yards in school history. One player made a mistake, and a long touchdown run resulted. Opponents scored on run plays of 40 yards or more eight times this past season.

Against Cincinnati’s Michael Warren, who rushed for over 1,300 yards in 2018, the Buckeyes surrendered 15 yards on 10 carries. Four or five defenders — not just one — were around the ball carrier consistently. The Bearcats ran for 107 yards total, with 80 coming in the fourth quarter against backup players.

“When you run to the football and you play with great effort, the thing that you find out happens is your missed tackles slowly start going down, and your big plays really go down,” co-defensive coordinator Greg Mattison said.

Mattison is one of four defensive assistants hired by head coach Ryan Day to bring an identity of toughness and physicality to the defense, an identity Day referenced throughout the offseason.

By the time spring football rolled around, Mattison and his fellow staffers were working on a defense they said was “simplified,” one that would allow their athletes to fly to the ball.

Excluding the second half against Florida Atlantic and fourth quarter against Cincinnati — time frames occupied by second team defenders — the Ohio State defense allowed 23 rushing yards in five quarters of football.

Werner has been a big part of both the 2018 and 2019 defenses, and said the success through two games is much better for morale.

“We get to third-and-5, we get ready to get off the field, and there’s a 25-yard gain,” Werner said. “Or if it’s first-and-10, they get a 25-yard gain, then they’re running down the field for a touchdown, you’re just like, ‘What’s going on?’”

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